Theodore Herzl's Dreams

Two beautiful quotes upon my readings for AJ-IJ seminar. Found in Theodore Herzl's Old-New Land.


"The Valley of Jehoshpaphat, sir," replied the man meekly.
"Then it's a real place, Devil take me! The Valley of Jehosphaphat! I thought it was just something in the Bible. Here our Lord and Savior walked. What do you think of it, Dr. Loeweberg?...Ah, yes! Still, it must mean something to you also. These ancient walls, this Valley..."
"Jerusalem!" cried Friedrich in a half-whisper, his voice trembling. He did not understand why the sight of this strange city affected him so powerfully. Was it the memory of words heard in early childhood? In passages of prayer murmured by his father? Memories of Seder services of long-forgotten years stirred in him. One of the frew Hebrew phrases he still knew rang in his ears: "La-shana Ha-baa be- Yerushalayim," ="Next Year in Jerusalem!" Suddenly he saw himself a little boy going to syngogue with his father. Ah, but faith was dead now, youth was dead, his father was dead. And here before him the walls o Jerusalem towered in the fairy moonlight. His eyes overflowed. He stopped short, and the hot tears coursed slowly down his cheeks. (Page 43)

This describes best when I saw the shores of Tel Aviv for the first time back in 2005- I didn't know why I felt this way. But when I saw it again in January 2007, I knew that it was my homeland and I knew that I belonged there. Before coming to Israel, I didn't really know if the magic of Jerusalem still existed- I thought it was long dead. It's still there. I see the Dome of the Rock on the way to my class every single day and I feel proud that the Jews have returned to claim their land with respect. Unlike Friedrich, I still had faith, just a small bit of it. Now my faith has grown stronger and stronger. To belong in the Israeli society, you must have a strong faith in Judaism because you're in Israel. Perhaps it is a little awkward to see that so many Israeli Jews are very secular and could not seem to care about the high holidays, but it is enough for them that they are living in the Holy Land, observing Shabbat, and speaking Hebrew. It's one of the major cultural shocks that I must learn to adjust.

'The serpentine road opened wider and wider prospects. Now the city and harbor of Haifa lay before the entranced eyes of the travelers. On the near side the broad bay with its zone of gardens; beyond, Acco with its background of mountains. They were on the summit of the nothern ridge of the Carmel. To the right and to the left, to the north and to the south, a magnificent expanse lay spread out before them. The sea glittered blue and gold into an infinite horizon. White-capped waves fluttered over it like gulls toward the light brown strand. David ordered thedriver to stop the car so that they might enjoy the unique view. As they alighted , he turned to Freidrich. "See, Dr. Loewenberg, this is the land of our fathers."
Friedrich did not know why his eyes grew warm with tears at the young man's simple words. This was an altogether difeferent mood from that of the night in Jerusalem twenty years before. He had looked then upon moonlit Death; now, Life sparkled joyously in the sun. He looked at David. So this was the Jewboy beggar! A free, healthy, cultured man who gazed steadfastly upon the world and seemed to stand firmly in his shoes. David had barely referred to his own circumstances in life; he could hardly be poor, though, if he lived in this district of villas and mansions. He seemed to be a promenent citizens, too. On the drive many people gad greeted him in the streets. Even elderly men had been the first to bow. Here he stood on the heights of the Carmel, an expression of profound joy upon his features as he gazed out over land and sea. Only now did it seem to Friedrich that he could recognize in the upstanding man before him the remarkable boy of the Briteenauer Laende in Vienna, who once upon a time had said that he would return to the Land of Israel." (page 69-70).

Today, the IDF men and women are "David." They go out and fight to protect their Jewish homeland. They stand proudly of their work in the Army. It's the mission. Same goes for anyone who stands to spend quality time in Israel and to make aliyah. Israel is a mecca for the Jews- where Jews can be proud of themselves, away from discomforts of being a minority. You know who's a Jew and who isn't. That "profound joy" can only happen in this kind of special place. It's a mark of belonging.